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 Following last week’s announcement of the “Restore
Illinois” plan by Governor Pritzker, the Illinois Republican
delegation heard from mayors, sheriffs, county board officials, and
constituents with deep concern that the current guidelines outlined
by the state will cripple the livelihoods of communities downstate.
Many municipalities have laid out thoughtful, safe, and reasonable
plans to reopen their communities within the federal guidelines.
However, Governor Pritzker this week threatened to withhold
federally appropriated funding localities that safely try to reopen
in accordance with those guidelines, but ahead of his arbitrary
timeline. As Congress debates additional relief legislation, the
Congressmen released the following joint statement:
“One of Illinois’ great strengths is our regional diversity, and
Illinoisans of all backgrounds have stepped up to slow the spread of
COVID—19 and flatten the curve. Small businesses, workers, and
community leaders that we represent take this virus seriously and
they are prepared to take unprecedented measures to safely reopen
their local economies. That’s why it’s disappointing that Governor
Pritzker threaten to withhold federal funding that Congress
appropriated to provide relief to those in need.
“The federal government and Congress have done a great deal to
support Illinois during this challenging time. We don’t believe our
governor, or any governor, should have the authority to prevent
federal funding they receive that Congress appropriates from flowing
to communities fighting for their livelihoods and abiding by the
federal health guidelines. We urge Congress to take action and stand
ready to work with our colleagues to continue providing the federal
relief Illinois needs.”
The full letter can be read below.
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader
McCarthy, and Leader Schumer:
We write to you with deep concern over the recent threats issued by
Governor J.B. Pritzker to possibly withhold federal aid provided
through the State of Illinois from any local government that reopens
its economy in accordance with federal health guidelines but ahead
of Governor Pritzker’s own arbitrary timetable.
Both Congress and President Trump’s Administration have taken
extraordinary measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic through four
pieces of legislation. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act provided nearly $4.9 billion in funding for the
State of Illinois—providing support to our frontline health care
workers and direct relief to workers and families, expanding
unemployment benefits, and bolstering small business with financial
assistance.
The U.S. Treasury and the Small Business Administration approved
over 160,000 Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans to date,
totaling over $23 billion for Illinois small businesses and placing
Illinois in the top five states for loan approval. On top of that,
the Trump Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) have delivered over 6.3 million pairs of surgical gloves,
over 1.5 million surgical masks, over 3.4 million N95 respirators,
and over 500,000 face shields for health care workers.
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As we work to get our country back on
track, we must take the appropriate measures to balance the health
and economic needs of individual communities that make up our
regionally diverse state. Small businesses across Illinois are
struggling to survive and are prepared to take unprecedented public
health precautions to reopen in a safe manner for their communities.
If these businesses are prohibited from reopening, many will close
their doors permanently leaving families without income, workers
without jobs, and communities with no tax base.
On top of Governor Pritzker’s ongoing campaign to persuade Illinois
voters to raise the state income tax on small businesses in
November, the Governor’s latest threat to withhold federal
assistance from communities in need is unconscionable.
Illinois’ fiscal challenges have long been documented. Decades of
poor budget and tax policy, financial mismanagement, and
unattainable promises have worsened budget shortfalls and bloated
long-term liabilities. Illinois’ financial issues will only make our
recovery from this virus more difficult.
Now more than ever, it’s critical that resources allocated by
Congress and the White House be delivered to everyday Illinoisans,
small businesses, and healthcare workers. Democrats in the Illinois
General Assembly, however, recently requested that the federal
government provide billions of dollars in federal funding to bailout
our state’s pre-COVID-19 financial struggles. Illinois’ financial
issues weren’t caused by COVID-19, and federal taxpayers shouldn’t
be on the hook for Illinois’ fiscal mismanagement.
We appreciate your work to help the American people, and we believe
additional relief efforts should be focus solely on providing
COVID-19 assistance so that we may effectively protect our most
vulnerable citizens like seniors and those with preexisting health
conditions. The idea that Illinois Democrats may seek a federal
bailout for decades of fiscal mismanagement, unrelated to COVID-19,
while Governor Pritzker prohibits communities impacted by COVID-19
from receiving federal assistance appropriated by Congress is simply
reprehensible.
While Congress should consider prohibiting Illinois from raising
income taxes on small businesses as a condition of state aid, we
urge you to act immediately to ensure no governor can withhold
federal funds appropriated by Congress for local municipalities that
allow their small businesses to reopen in accordance with federal
health guidelines.
Sincerely,
[Office of Congressman Darin Lahood] |
